


Morning Routines

by cabooseachievables



Category: Power Rangers
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, F/F, the coffee shop au no one asked for
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-09
Updated: 2017-06-03
Packaged: 2018-10-29 18:38:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,077
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10859757
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cabooseachievables/pseuds/cabooseachievables
Summary: Kimberly Hart is a college student that enjoys getting her morning cup of coffee. Every day is practically the same routine, and she doesn't seem to mind that consistency.(Until a girl in yellow suddenly starts coming to the same coffee place, and Kim has to deal with a big gay crush.)The Coffee Shop AU nobody asked for, because coffee dates are a big trend with this ship.





	1. Chapter 1

Kimberly Hart is in college, and she’s never been so stressed before in her life.

 

The second semester just started, and Kim already found herself being buried in assignments, papers, labs, and exams. She barely had time for hanging out with her friends at this point, and, with how little she’s seen them lately, she would honestly be surprised if she still _had_ friends. There was one consistency in her life, though, and that was her morning stop for coffee.

 

Last semester, she’d discovered this little coffee shop on the corner of a street not too far from her campus. The menu wasn’t much of a wide variety, but Kim found that nearly everything on there suited her tastes. It became a subconscious habit of hers, walking here every morning from her dorm to get a cup of coffee. She found herself sitting at the same booth every time, after she grabbed her order. The booth was placed right next to a window, allowing her to look out and lose herself in the cars that passed by. It was relaxing, and soothed her stress for at least twenty minutes a day. The baristas usually changed every other morning, and she’d even gotten to know a few of them on a first-name basis. There were a few regular customers who came by whenever she did too. They’d order their favorite drinks and then sit down at a table, scrolling aimlessly on their phones. Overall, Kim’s mornings were pretty uniform.

 

This Tuesday was different.

 

Kim walked into the coffee shop, triggering the jingle of a bell that hung above the doorway. The barista, an awkward teenage boy in his employee uniform, greets her with a smile. She gives him her order, the same as always. He nods and soon enough, she has her warm drink in hand and shifts to go to her favorite booth. She expects the place to be empty, as it usually is when she first arrives. But…

 

There’s a girl. She looks like a college student too, by Kim’s assumptions. She’s sitting in the back corner booth, sipping from her cup and texting on her phone. There’s a beanie sitting on the back of her head, and she’s wearing a cute yellow jacket that fits her perfectly. There’s no way she’s been here before. Kim would have noticed.

 

Kim doesn’t actually realize that she’s staring at the girl until she looks up from her phone and they incidentally make eye contact, which lasts a solid two seconds before Kim abruptly looks away. Her cheeks are burning from the fact that, yes, she was just staring at this cute girl (by accident, of course). And yes, she got caught.

 

Staring at the white floor the whole way, Kim goes over and swiftly sits in her usual booth, ignoring the ridiculous flush in her cheeks. After a minute of tapping mindlessly on the side of her cup, Kim reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out her cell phone. She brings up the texting thread with her best friend, Jason Scott, and types rapidly.

 

**K [8:57AM]:**

cute girl at my favorite coffee place. rn.  


**J [8:58AM]:**

No way. Get her number.

 

**K [8:58AM]:**

i don’t even know her!

 

**J [8:59AM]:**

Then go talk to her?

 

Kim reads the last text on her phone, biting her lip and thinking about it. Sure, she could go over there and talk to the girl. But so many things could go wrong! And, on top of that, she would need the confidence to go over there in the first place. She doesn’t even know if the girl _likes_ women, or anything about her for that matter. Yet all it would take is to go over there, and start one conversation...

 

Alright. Fine. One conversation. Kim could do that. As an ex-cheerleader, she’d had plenty of experience with being social and meeting new people. She inhaled deeply, and turned in her seat to start getting up with the little shreds of confidence she was able to build.

 

It was too late, though, because as soon as she did, the girl was already making her way out the front door. Kim exhaled in disappointment, but not surprise.

 

_Shit,_ she thought to herself, slouching in her booth. _There goes that._

 

For the remainder of the day, Kim couldn’t help but think about the mystery girl during her classes, as distracting as it was. Yeah, paying attention would probably be very helpful with the amount of work Kim was in for, but there was something about that girl. Something that made Kim want to learn more about her, and, hopefully, take her out on a date one day.

 

The next morning, she walks into the coffee shop hoping to see the mystery girl again. She’s slightly disappointed when she doesn’t.

 

* * *

 

 

It isn’t until Thursday morning, when Kim walks in at her usual time, does she see her again.

 

She’s sitting at the same corner booth as last time, drink placed on the old table in front of her, looking down at her phone. Today, though, the girl isn’t wearing that beanie, and Kim takes a moment to admire it.

 

Her hair is braided so nicely on one side, and the rays of sunlight coming in from the windows shine on her jawline perfectly, and…  


Wow, Kim is definitely gay.

 

The barista is looking at Kim, a hint of confusion on his face as he waits patiently for her order. (Even though he knows what she’s getting already, it’s always safe to wait for a confirmation.) Kim fumbles embarrassingly, pushing strands of her hair behind her ear as she tries to get her order out successfully. She nearly messed it up, stating the wrong amount of sugars and tripping on her words, but managed to compose herself. The boy nods and turns around, grabbing a cup and going to the machines to prepare her coffee.

 

Kim was waiting patiently by the counter for her coffee to be presented, she really was. Some part of her mind dared her to look over at that corner booth, which she resisted for... quite some time. But with her significant lack of self control she eventually did, when she realized the girl was standing, and-- _oh god, is she walking this way? She’s walking this way_.

 

Kim tensed up where she was waiting, eyes trying to look everywhere _but_ at the girl who was coming straight for her. The yellow crop top that she’s wearing evidently draws her eyes anyway, where Kim can see her exposed tan skin and she tries to ignore the way her heartbeat begins to race.

 

Then, she realizes, the girl is actually walking towards the napkins.

 

Right. Of course. Why would she be walking towards Kim? The napkin holders are just a foot away from where she’s standing. It only makes sense when she stops in front of it, pulling out a few thin white napkins.

 

The girl does look up as she does, briefly glancing at Kim and making the smallest amount of eye contact. She looks away almost immediately, to Kim’s dismay, but as she passes by to go back to her table Kim is able to peek at the name written on the girl’s cup. Just barely, she’s able to make it out.

 

The name TRINI is written on the side in thick black marker, and Kim smiles a little to herself.

 

Trini. It’s a beautiful name, she decides.

 

* * *

 

 

Kim’s routine has changed.

 

Most days are completely normal; she arrives to her favorite coffee shop, sits at her booth with the perfect window view, and watches other customers come and go. Sometimes she does a bit of last minute school work, sometimes she just watches the street and the strangers that pass on the sidewalk.

 

Tuesdays and Thursdays are a different story, though. Every week, the same mystery girl in yellow sits at that back corner and silently enjoys her drink. Kim quietly pines over her, admiring the different outfit choices and how the color yellow really looks good on her. A lot of times, Kim spends the entire morning wondering if she’ll ever actually manage to _speak_ to Trini.

 

Her usual conclusion is, no, she probably won’t. Even with Jason’s advice and encouragement, she can never get that same courage she had the first day. It was, for the most part, a helpless cause.

 

But, one morning, Kim gets an idea.

 

She just-so-happened to get there a good fifteen minutes early today, and sure enough, the cute mystery girl hadn’t arrived yet. So before placing her order for her usual coffee, Kim grabbed a napkin and pulled out a pen from her bag.

 

In her clean, neat handwriting, she writes:

 

_Hi. I’m Kimberly, the girl that sits by the window._

 

It’s lame, and definitely a middle school tactic, she knows. Writing a note? It’s almost pathetic, but it’s all she can manage to do without making a complete fool out of herself. Kim jogs over to that empty corner booth and slides the napkin towards the very center, leaving it there to be found later. Then she orders, sits, and waits.

 

When Trini finally arrives, she orders with very little conversation with the barista, and walks over to her usual booth-- and then she stops. Kim holds her breath as she realizes that the girl is reading the note. After reading it for what nearly seems like an eternity, she looks up and glances over at Kim with confused eyes. Kim smiles at her, offering a small and almost awkward wave, and Kim swears she can see a small curl in the corner of the girl’s mouth. Wishful thinking, maybe?

 

Kim turns back inwards to her table quickly after, trying to occupy herself by scrolling through her Instagram feed. The sun was pouring in through the window, making the contents on her phone nearly unseeable, but it didn’t matter. (She was internally freaking out about the girl’s response anyway.) She keeps scrolling, seeing pictures posted by Jason and a few of her other college friends, and she even _almost_ gets invested in reading a longer post.

 

Until a hand slips a napkin in front of her. Kim looks up immediately to see Trini passing by her booth, heading towards the holder for sugar packets in the front. Secondly, she looks down at the napkin she’d just been given, and reads the words scribbled onto it:

 

_Trini. Sup._

 

Her handwriting is incredibly sloppy, but it’s actually kind of endearing in a way that Kim can’t help but smile at. She feels relieved at two things: one, Trini actually _replied_ to the note that she’d left; two, Trini didn’t think that Kim’s method of introduction was completely ridiculous and embarrassing. Or, at the very least if she _did_ , she didn’t show it. Kim picked up her pen, grabbed another clean napkin, and wrote down her response.

 

_We should talk some time._

 

She rereads it at least twenty times before she notices Trini making her way back to her table, and before she can pass, Kim casually slips it into the girl’s palm. She sees the way Trini’s eyes scan the note when she gets back to her seat, and she sees the visible hesitation as Trini lets her own pen hover over it. Then, finally, she writes.

 

Kim waits, drinking her coffee and enjoying the way it helps her relax. Her heart pounds in her chest, yet a part of her feels slightly more at ease. The anxiety has all but subsided, but there’s a little bit of hope somewhere in her chest. Just a little bit.

 

A good twenty minutes go by, but Kim doesn’t complain. Trini holds onto the napkin until she gets ready to leave, she notices, and drops it off on Kim’s table on her way out. Trini doesn’t look at her, avoiding eye contact most likely, so Kim reads the note instead of staring at her walking away.

 

_Sure. I’d like that._

 

The front door bell jingles as Trini leaves. Kim puts down the napkin, grinning as she brings her coffee cup to her lips. She’s looking forward to next Tuesday.

 

* * *

 

 

Next Tuesday comes around.

 

Trini doesn’t show.

 

Kim is undeniably disappointed.

 

She’s taking slow sips from her steaming coffee, leg shaking anxiously under the table. _Why isn’t she here today?_ It’s cloudy outside today, but it isn’t rough enough weather to avoid going out. Kim tries her best to shake the worries out of her head, because _this probably isn’t even about you, Kim. She probably has perfectly valid reasons for not being here._ The cars outside catch her eye, and she’s watching the daily traffic when she gets a text message from Jason.

 

**J [8:43AM]**

How are things with cute girl?  
  


Kim lets her thumbs hesitate over the phone screen.

 

**K [8:43AM]**

her name is trini.

and she didn’t show up today

 

**J [8:45AM]**

Oh.

Don’t worry about it, K. Maybe Thursday.

 

Kim sighs, turning off her phone and shoving it in her pocket. Yeah, maybe Thursday.

 

* * *

 

 

It’s Thursday morning, and there she is.

 

Kim walks in trying not to get her hopes up, really. Telling herself that even if Trini _isn’t_ here, there’s always next time. But her breath instantly catches in her throat when she looks over at the corner booth and sees Trini, leaning back casually in her seat. Yellow grabs her attention first; a yellow tank top to accommodate the warmer weather outside. The beautiful tan skin gets her attention second. Kim gets hopelessly lost looking at her arms, which are... more muscular than she thought they’d be.

 

It’s in that moment that Trini shifts her gaze to meet Kim’s and for the second time, Kim realizes she’d been staring for far too long. To cover up the whole weird staring thing, Kim gives her a small friendly wave. And surprisingly, Trini waves back. The girl’s face shows almost no emotion, except maybe sleep deprivation from being this deep into the college semester, but the wave has to mean something, right? Right.

 

Once Kim successfully orders her coffee— something new this time, actually— she walks over to her usual window seat and stops in her tracks. At this point, Kim’s heart scolds her as it pounds relentlessly against her chest. _Go talk to her_ , it screams. _Come on, Kim. You can’t make_ that _much of a fool of yourself._ And while the odds of Kimberly Hart making a fool of herself is actually higher than many people would expect, she knows that talking to Trini is the best idea.

 

So after a bit more inner pep talk, Kim swerves and goes over to Trini’s booth.

 

“Hi,” she begins, very awkwardly. What an amazing conversation starter, Hart. Trini looks up at her almost immediately, turning off the phone that rests on the table. Kim feels her intended words get caught somewhere in her lungs as Trini’s brown eyes nearly sparkle in the morning light. _Wow._ “Would… Would you mind if I sit with you?”

 

Trini’s shoulders visibly tense, but then she shrugs it off nonchalantly. “Sure, I guess. I did say we could talk some time.”

 

Kim smiles softly to herself; that was the first time she’d heard Trini’s voice.

 

It was totally worth the wait.

 

She sits down across from Trini, sliding onto the bench. Their feet brush just barely from the somewhat tight space underneath the table, but Trini doesn’t seem to notice it.

 

This was it. The moment Kim had been building everything up to. The moment she’d finally _talk_ to this cute girl she’d been pining over for weeks. The moment she finally broke the ice. Except…

 

It’s quiet. So, very, awkwardly quiet.

 

It dawns on her that maybe Trini wasn’t much of a talker. Or maybe this was just a weird situation in general, since they didn’t really know each other.

 

“So,” Kim starts, fiddling with the plastic top of her coffee cup. “I’ve been coming here every morning since the school year started, and I never saw you here until a few weeks ago.”

 

“Yeah,” Trini responds slowly, folding her arms over her chest. “My friend Zack introduced me to this place. I guess you could say I’m addicted now or something, so I come here before my classes.”

 

There’s a grin on Kim’s face that she couldn’t quite hold back. “Wait, wait,” she holds up a hand dramatically, “Zack Taylor?”

 

Trini nods. “I’m guessing you know him?” She questions, with the arch of a perfect eyebrow and the slight curve of her lips. A gesture that makes Kim silently swoon.

 

“Just last week I had to pick him up from a party, because he got too wasted to even see straight,” Kim groans, resting her chin on the palm of her hand. Oh, what a fun night _that_ was. He had nearly puked in the backseat of her car, and then proceeded to pass out soon after. Yeah, on the bright side, he was able to get home safely with Kim’s reluctant help. But that’s a memory she’ll hold against him for a long time.

 

“Oh, I know,” Trini snorted, the rare hint of a laugh. “I’m the one that dared him to do a kegstand.”

 

Kim finally let herself relax, laughing loud enough to grab the attention of a nearby customer. She didn’t notice, though. “No way!” Kim smiled, shaking her head. The picture is clearly painted in her head: Zack, trying to down as much alcohol as possible. Trini, smirking from the sidelines. A true disaster. “...Are you a partier? I didn’t think you’d be the type,” she finally admits from behind her cup.

 

“Why? Did you think I looked too much like a loner over here in my corner?” Trini retorts, sarcasm heavy in her words. Kim freezes momentarily, wondering if she’d actually sounded rude in her assumption.

 

“What? No, I didn’t mean—”

 

“Relax. I’m joking,” the girl says, smirking. It’s the closest thing to a smile Kim has been able to see from her so far, and it… is extremely cute. It’s such a smug and adorable look at the same time, even as Trini leans further back in her seat comfortably. “I don’t do parties, really. Not a fan of crowds. Or socializing,” she adds. “But Zack said I needed to ‘get out of the house.’ Do something fun.”

 

With a simple reply, Kim nods. “That definitely sounds like Zack.”

 

They sit in silence again now, drinking their caffeine and letting the minutes tick by. This time, however, it’s more comfortable. Natural. Kim even forgets that she has a class to be getting to soon, until she glances at a clock on the wall. She opens her mouth to declare her departure, but Trini beats her to it.

 

“Well,” Trini says, standing and slinging her backpack over her shoulder. “Guess I’ll see you around, Kimberly.” She gives a small salute, one that _would_ seem polite if it weren’t for the casual vibe that resonated with her.

 

Kim smiles, watching her leave.

 

“See you.”

 

* * *

 

 

It becomes their new routine as more weeks fly by.

 

One of them will get there first (many times they have this unspoken race, hoping to get there first and wait with a smug look on their face), grab a booth, and the other will join.

 

They talk, usually short but sweet conversations. They discuss classes, exams, and other school-related topics. It takes a long time for Kim to get Trini to speak about her home life, and even after some progress there still isn’t much information out in the open. She doesn’t push, and let’s the girl open up on her own time.

 

When they don’t talk, they sit in what is now a comfortable silence between them. No words are spoken, but there isn’t anything wrong with that.

 

And Kim never stops admiring her. She admires that cute, rare smirk that Kim manages to evoke more often than not. She admires her little habits, like the way she folds up her napkins into odd shapes after using them. Most of all, though, she admires the way Trini’s eyes shine whenever Kim sits down on the other end of the booth.

 

Okay, that one _might_ be her imagination, but she _really_ hopes that it isn’t.

 

One morning, they exchange phone numbers so that they can hang out sometime.

 

Kim saves her name as Trini, with a yellow heart.

 

* * *

 

 

“Hey, Trini?” Kim asks one morning. It’s late April, and the coffee shop’s AC is just starting to kick in. How long have they been doing this? A few months have gone by of the same weekly routine. Meeting up every Tuesday and Thursday morning (and sometimes Saturday now!), spending half an hour a day in each other’s presence. It’s become so natural to them.

 

“Yeah, Kimmy?” Trini responds, not looking up from her phone. She’s reading some post on Instagram that clearly has her attention. The nickname makes Kim’s heart swell with nothing but adoration.

 

“Go on a date with me,” Kim blurts out, suggesting it before she loses her confidence. Trini freezes, looking at her now with raised eyebrows and wide eyes. “Like, a real date. Not here. Maybe the movies, or a nice restaurant…”

 

There’s an absolute silence as Trini stares at her in surprise. Kim feels her heart falter at the thought of misreading everything.

 

“Or, you know, we could forget I ever said this—”

 

“No! I—I mean…” Trini cuts her off. There’s a flush in her cheeks as she attempts to look at anything but Kim. Eventually she gives in and meets Kim’s gaze, and Kim can read everything in those beautiful brown eyes. “The—The movies sound nice. But, seriously, no romcoms, unless you want me to fall asleep.”

 

Kim smiles at her, and it’s the happiest she’s been in a long time.

 

* * *

 

 

The first time they kiss, Kim swears that there’s a hint of coffee on Trini’s lips.

 

It doesn’t surprise her.

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trini's POV! This was actually highly requested, so I finally got around to it! Enjoy!

A part of Trini loves college and experiencing it, but the other part absolutely hates it.

 

She loves it because, well, it gets her away from her parents. Being able to live in a dorm with partial independence and no nagging mother to come home to is actually therapeutic. Of course she’d been reluctant to leave her brothers, but the choice was simple.

 

She hates it because the work is exhausting. A paper due every week, two hour labs, and a bit of sprinkled in exams? The perfect recipe for Trini’s death. It’s not that the work is unreasonable, because she knew exactly what she was getting into by choosing to be a bio major. Trini just wanted to get some sleep.

 

There’s no time for much of that, though. So Trini’s friend Zack introduced a source for the next best thing to sleep: caffeine. A small coffee shop near campus, within decent walking distance of the dorm building they lived in. It had been some time in the afternoon when he’d brought her, raving about how good their coffee was (and how one of the evening baristas is a tall, cute blonde. She wasn’t entirely sure if he was setting her up or calling dibs.) They sit there for an hour, and Trini admits that Zack was actually right about this place.

 

The next morning, Trini found herself going back before her morning class. A last minute paper kept her occupied until two in the morning, and waking up at seven wasn’t pleasant in the slightest. Coffee was practically calling her name, and soon enough she was ordering a cup to stay. A lot of items on the menu seemed ideal, but only a few fit Trini’s budget of a few singles left in her wallet. Their smallest size of French Vanilla would have to do.

 

Sitting in the back corner was Trini’s favorite, mostly because it sent the message that she’d really prefer not to be bothered by anyone. It provided the amount of privacy that Trini preferred. Not that she’d actually need it, though, because the shop wasn’t nearly as crowded in the early morning. It was quiet as she sat in the corner, scrolling on her phone through Twitter, favoriting stupid tweets from college friends. Apparently Tommy Oliver got completely smashed last night at a party, passing out in some old woman’s lawn. Zack was making memes out of the photos he took as proof.

 

A jingle rang from the front of the shop, signalling that someone new just entered, but Trini paid no mind. She favorited a tweet and took a sip of her drink before mindlessly looking up, only to find a pair of beautiful brown eyes on her.

 

...Wow.

 

The girl was _gorgeous_ , and that much was obvious. The wavy brown hair down to her shoulders; the leather jacket hugging her figure. And who could ever ignore those eyes— especially when they’re staring at you.

 

Wait. Alright, there’s no way that this girl was staring at Trini. But who else was there in this shop to be staring at? The old man sitting at a table with a newspaper? As soon as Trini met that gaze, the girl tore her eyes away to something, anything, else. That sure as hell couldn’t be a coincidence… right? _Fuck_ . So this beautiful stranger _was_ staring at her and got caught in the act, looking away in embarrassment as if this was some kind of romantic movie scene between an interest and the lovesick protagonist.

 

Yeah… nope. That’s enough for today.

 

As soon as the girl sat down at her booth, relaxing into the wooden bench, Trini gathered her things to go. She downed the last of her vanilla coffee with haste despite its temperature. On her way out the door, she disposed of the cup in a trashcan and made sure not to look back.

 

For the rest of that day, Trini experienced an internal gay panic. On the outside, she’d look completely fine. On the inside? She’s kind of freaking out, because that was literally the most beautiful girl she’d ever seen in her life. Is that an exaggeration? (Beyonce is out there. Eva Longoria is out there. Those are very easy picks for the most beautiful women Trini had ever seen, but any time she closed her eyes during class the only thing she could picture was this girl, standing by the counter, eyes slightly wide with parted lips. Looking at _her_. Trini.)

 

On the bright side, she’d figured during one of her labs, what are they odds that they’d cross paths again?

 

Slim, right?

   


* * *

 

 

Trini has a habit of underestimating the universe and how it _loves_ to torture her.

 

That Thursday, she’d gone back to the coffee shop and sat at that same back table. The night before had been spent scrambling with a study group for their upcoming field studies exam, and Trini hadn’t even questioned being awake until four in the morning— until her alarm went off at seven.

 

Despite Zack being the most annoying person on the planet, he was practically a lifesaver at this point for introducing her to this place.

 

But just like a deep part of her chest feared, the girl walked in around the same time as Tuesday. Trini noticed her almost immediately (because yeah, she was kind of watching the door every other second to check for her presence). She quickly tried to busy herself with contents on her phone, ignoring the girl and almost praying that they wouldn’t make some kind of eye contact again. If they did, Trini would most likely combust.

 

 _Just don’t look up. You can do that. It’s fine._ She kept her eyes glued to the phone in hand, extending an arm to reach for her drink.

 

Now, evidently, you should probably watch what you’re reaching for, especially if it’s a tall cup of coffee. Otherwise you’ll end up knocking it over and spilling some on the table. Like Trini.

 

Luckily, she managed to grab it before it completely fell over, but that didn’t control the splash of coffee that got out anyway. It was a decent mess, and the universe must have shown enough mercy on her to ensure the girl in front hadn’t seen the incident happen. Trini sighed in relief, but slowly tensed up at the thought of getting up to grab napkins. The napkins that are placed conveniently on the front counter, next to a very beautiful girl ordering her morning fix.

 

There were two options here: get up, grab napkins, and clean the mess by herself, or do nothing and expect an employee to do it later.

 

Trini wasn’t some kind of uncultured heathen who would give an employee more annoying work to do though, so with great reluctance, she got up from the booth. The barista had gone to the back preparing the girl’s coffee, and that at least made the situation somewhat easier. Today’s barista was usually the chattiest one, trying to start small conversations with Trini any time he noticed her stopping by. The last thing Trini needed was for him to start asking questions about how her week was in front of this cute stranger.

 

She brought the coffee cup with her, just to occupy one of her hands during the stretch of a walk towards the napkin holder. It was warm against her palm, like the rays of sunlight pouring through the window. Trini’s cheeks were probably around the same temperature, heating up as she suddenly became very aware of the other girl’s choice to wear short shorts today. _Jesus Christ_ , those legs look so smooth and Trini could barely suppress the thought of sliding her hand along that bare skin as she approached the counter.

 

That was when she’d made the error of glancing up, from the floor and the girl’s legs, and their eyes met for a second— a fraction of a second, really— before Trini averted her eyes. In all honesty, it hadn’t been because she was avoiding the girl. Trini just couldn’t trust herself with the idea of looking into those deep brown eyes. They were the kind of eyes you’d get lost in if you stared for too long, drawing you in and creating a vice-like grip around your self control. Trini had practically no self control to begin with, so, no thank you.

 

It didn’t change the fact that her heart had started beating faster in her chest. Trini grabbed a handful of napkins as quickly as possible, eyes glued to the hideously white tiles below her feet. The walk back to her booth was much quicker, regardless of whether it was only in her head or if she’d actually taken rapid steps to return.

 

The very first thing she did upon sitting down was snatch her phone from its place on the tabletop (instead of wiping up the coffee).

 

**T [8:54AM]:**

 

zack.

 

**T [8:54AM]:**

 

i’m so fucking gay

 

**Z [8:55AM]:**

 

yea i’m aware of that

 

**Z [8:55AM]:**

 

why tho? did u see another picture of zendaya on ur timeline again

 

**T [8:56AM]:**

 

the prettiest girl i’ve ever seen is literally in the coffee shop rn

 

**Z [8:57AM]:**

 

O shit for real? who is she?

 

**T [8:57AM]:**

 

no idea.

 

Trini was about to type something else, thumbs hovering over that waiting keyboard. One of the newer employees’ voices caught her attention instead. She’d brought over the girl’s order to the counter, reading the handwriting on the side of the cup.

 

“Kim?” The employee called out, and Kim nodded with a smile as she accepted it.

 

Kim, huh? She likes that.

 

 

* * *

 

 

It’s Sunday, and Trini is sitting on her best friend Zack’s dorm room floor. It’s uncomfortable, but there’s a rug at least.

 

She’d been aimlessly writing down notes from her textbook for the past hour, cramming for that upcoming test, but she wasn’t actually thinking about the work. It was mostly just her hand doing what it needed to do, while her useless gay imagination was busy picturing Kim. Kim was all she could think about since Thursday, even distracting her from watching her favorite Thursday night shows. (By the time she’d snapped out of her thoughts that night, it’d been 10:30 already and she’d miraculously missed all of them.) It was actually a pain in the ass.

 

Speaking of pain in the ass, though—

 

“Something on your mind, crazy girl?” Zack asked before Trini could even register that she was spacing out again. The pen in her hand was resting idly against the loose leaf, leaving a sentence unfinished. He’s grinning at her like it’s hilarious, eyebrows raised in curiosity. “Coffee shop girl?”

 

Trini just nods. “Coffee shop girl.”

 

It _must_ have been hilarious to him, because he let out a loud laugh. “Damn, you must have it bad. Do you even know her name?”

 

“Actually, I do!” Trini grumbled, since it was clear he expected her to say no. He just hummed in surprise, sitting up on his bed, staring at her, waiting for an elaboration. Trini sighed, eyes darting to the textbook pages in front of her instead of looking at him. “...I heard the barista say it.”

 

Zack laughed again, this time harder, because it all sounds so _lame_. Even Trini could admit that this was so, very, pathetic. She couldn’t even find the courage to speak to the girl, so she’d had to find out her name from the barista by accident. It’s a romance novel gone wrong.

 

“Well?” Zack prompted her, leaning in just a tad closer.

 

“Her name is Kim,” Trini said, tapping the textbook with the flat end of her pen. A moment passed. A few moments passed. Trini looked up at a suspiciously quiet Zack, this odd look on his face as if there were a bunch of gears turning within his head. “What?”

 

Zack shook his head instantly, raising his hands. “Nothing! Nothing,” he paused, eyes flickering to her work. “You do know you have a paper due at midnight, right?”

 

“FUCK.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

Somehow, Trini develops a regular routine.

 

On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, she opts to sleep in since most of those classes are in the afternoon. There’s no need to get up early, so she doesn’t.

 

But on every Tuesday and Thursday, she shows up to the coffee shop more or less for the coffee.

 

More for the girl.

 

Trini stares at Kim more than she’d like to admit, admiring how the sunlight comes through the window sometimes and makes her beautiful skin shine. Some days Kim could come in looking just a little rougher than before, but rough for Kim was still the most gorgeous girl she’d ever laid her eyes on. And since Trini has grown to be somewhat of an expert on the exhaustion of it, she could tell that Kim must be a science major too.

 

Despite her giant gay crush and the fact that she falls asleep thinking about Kim lately, Trini was pretty satisfied with the idea of not talking to her. It would only come back to bite her, make things awkward, or get her involved with something she wouldn’t know how to handle.

 

That’s the mindset she had for a long time.

 

Until one morning, when she got to her signature booth, there was a note there. Written on a napkin, no less.

 

Trini practically froze as she read it, because it was the last thing she’d ever expected to see:  


_Hi. I’m Kimberly, the girl that sits by the window._  


It took her a moment to gather enough courage to actually look up at Kim, and— wait, Kim was here _before_ her today? That almost never happens. Then Trini was being provided with that warm smile and a small wave from Kim, who was sitting at her own favorite table by the window.. Trini felt her lip curl up just slightly. It’s pretty cliche, but adorable all at once.

 

She sat down, staring at the flimsy white napkin in her hands. What exactly was Trini supposed to do now? Does she approach Kim? Talk to her and ask her how her morning has been? The idea was like a punch to the gut, a fist thrown by her very own anxiety. So instead of any listed options, she pulls out a pen from the book bag next to her and starts to write a response on the same napkin.

 

_Trini. Sup._

 

God.

  
Could that be any lamer? Probably not. It’s all she’s got, though.  


Trini gets up with the imaginary excuse of heading for the sugar packets in front and slips the napkin in front of Kim while she’s on her phone.

 

Her heart was pounding ridiculously hard against her chest, but whatever. It’s cool. Everything’s fine. Casual chat through notes with a cute girl. It’s normal. She grabbed two packets of sugar and nearly dropped them with the way her hand was slightly trembling. _Get a hold of yourself, Trini. Shit._

 

By the time she made her way back, Kim already had her reply ready and slipped it into her hand. For the brief second their fingers brushed, Trini felt the strange and terrifying need for more. She didn’t read the note until she sat down again at the booth, composing herself.

 

_We should talk some time._

 

Trini gulped harshly after scanning the words, her pen hovering over the napkin. An invitation to speak to a cute girl? Unrealistic. But it’s happening. With a deep inhale, she writes her response:

 

_Sure. I’d like that._

 

 

* * *

 

 

That following Tuesday, she completely chickened out.

 

Instead of walking to the coffee shop before class, meeting up with a beautiful girl named Kimberly who was waiting for her appearance, Trini ended up at Zack’s door face palming herself. Zack was all half-asleep, leaning against his door for support as he stared at her in confusion.

 

“What?” He asked, rubbing his eyes.

 

“I…” Trini sighs. “I didn’t go.”

 

Zack was quiet for a moment, confused, before his eyes widened in understanding. “You said you were finally gonna talk to her today, T!”

 

“I know!” Trini groans, slumping against his door. It was all so stupid. Talking to pretty girls usually wasn’t _this_ difficult, yet here she was, running away from her first chance to talk to one. “I just— I couldn’t do it.”

 

He ran a hand through his jet black hair. If it was messed up from sleeping before, his fingers only made it worse. “Well, T, you’ve always got Thursday.”

 

Trini stared down at her grey sneakers, white laces dirtied from wearing the pair for months. She couldn’t bring herself to look at Zack, not when she felt so… pathetic. _Ugh._

 

He was right, though. There was always Thursday.

 

 

* * *

 

 

It’s Thursday, and Trini is sitting anxiously in her corner booth.

 

It was already an issue, because Kim had walked in thirty seconds ago with a pink t-shirt and another pair of short shorts that made Trini’s heart leap out of her chest. How the fuck does this girl manage to look prettier every day? It’s annoying, almost. The breeze had drifted in when she opened the front door, tousling her hair a bit around the big sunglasses resting on top of her head. Kim must have walked out of a photoshoot. It was the only logical explanation.

 

A buzz from Trini’s phone distracts her momentarily.

 

**Z [8:37AM]:**

 

have fun with kim today ;)

 

Trini couldn’t help but roll her eyes, glancing up at Kim by the counter only to possibly catch her staring. Again.

 

Kim waved shyly. Trini managed to wave back.

 

Quickly, she looked back down at her phone and responded to Zack before he could start sending more annoying messages.

 

**T [8:39AM]:**

 

shut up, zack. i’m just gonna talk to her

 

She paused before tapping the middle finger emoji and hitting send. When it finished sending, Trini could barely register that Kim was making her way over… to her booth. Oh my god.

 

_Relax, Trini. You can do this. You’ve talked to plenty of cute girls before._

 

 _None quite as cute as this one, though._ _Shit._  


“Hi,” Kim begins, and the sound of her voice is as beautiful as the way she looks. There’s a pause. “Would… Would you mind if I sit with you?”

 

The offer wasn’t surprising, not in the slightest. All signs were pointing to this happening; giant, neon, blinking signs shouting that Kim was going to come over and speak to her. That didn’t mean Trini was actually _prepared_ for it, though. She could feel her shoulders tense as soon as the words hit her ears, but shrugged to dispose of the nerves.

 

“Sure, I guess. I did say we could talk some time,” Trini managed to say calmly, hiding the way her hands trembled by keeping her hands under the table. How the hell was Kim so relaxed? Was anxiety not flooding her veins like it was for Trini? Maybe she had more experience, or maybe— maybe Kim was just looking for a friend, not a date.

 

Oh.

 

Kim had seated herself on the other side of the booth, holding her fresh cup of coffee with both of her hands. But that must have been a while ago, because Kim was looking at her as if anticipating a conversation to start. Trini had been too lost in thought to realize it.

 

“So,” Kim says finally, messing with the top of her coffee cup. “I’ve been coming here every morning since the school year started, and I never saw you here until a few weeks ago.”

 

It was weird to hear such a thing, because Trini could have sworn that she did everything she possibly could to stay invisible to strangers. Sitting in the back corner? Check. Hiding behind her favorite yellow beanie? Check. Glued to her phone? Check.

 

So how is it that Kimberly actually noticed her?

 

“Yeah,” Trini replies, suddenly remembering Zack’s existence as she folds her arms. “My friend Zack introduced me to this place. I guess you could say I’m addicted now or something, so I come here before my classes.”

 

The grin that grows on Kim’s face is so bright, so genuine, that Trini is sure that if she’d been standing her legs would have given out. “Wait, wait,” Kim raised her hand, “Zack Taylor?”

 

“I’m guessing you know him?” Trini nods, raising an eyebrow, and remembers something as she does: that confused look Zack had given her the day they were in his room. Of course Zack would know Kimberly and not mention it.

 

Things to do later: beat up Zack Taylor.

 

“Just last week I had to pick him up from a party, because he got too wasted to even see straight,” Kim says, and Trini snorts because she can remember the night very clearly. Zack brought her to some party, insisting that it’d be a fun experience for the both of them. It took nearly five minutes for him to get drunk, and Trini took advantage by daring him to do a kegstand in the back room. She hadn’t actually expected him to do it, but he did, and got completely trashed.

  
At least he doesn’t remember it.

 

“Oh, I know,” Trini says, laughing slightly at the memory. Kim’s eyes light up a bit, but she pretends not to notice. “I’m the one that dared him to do a kegstand.”

 

Kimberly laughs, stealing the breath from Trini’s lungs. “No way!” Kim smiled afterward, shaking her head in either bewilderment or disbelief. Possibly both. “...Are you a partier? I didn’t think you’d be the type,” she adds, bringing the coffee cup to her lips.

 

“Why? Did you think I looked too much like a loner over here in my corner?” Trini retorts, sarcastic even though Kim is right. She was never a partier; in fact, she was probably the opposite. Trini preferred to avoid social situations like that, choosing the peaceful quiet of her bedroom over pulsing music in her ears.

 

“What? No, I didn’t mean—” Kim starts to panic, but Trini stops her quickly.

 

“Relax. I’m joking,” she reassured, not noticing the smirk that was on her own face. “I don’t do parties, really. Not a fan of crowds. Or socializing,” she adds truthfully. “But Zack said I needed to ‘get out of the house.’ Do something fun.”

 

“That definitely sounds like Zack,” Kim nods.

 

A silence blanketed over them, but Trini felt less tense. More comfortable. They both just sat there, enjoying the coffee and letting time pass by. Sometimes they’d make small comments, about each other or how the weather is getting warmer. Trini, surprisingly, wouldn’t have complained if Kim asked her to stay longer— but a 10 o’clock class was waiting for her.

 

“Well,” Trini starts, grabbing her backpack and slinging it over her shoulder as she gets up from the booth. “Guess I’ll see you around, Kimberly.”

 

She walks away with a two-finger salute, getting out so quickly that she misses the way Kim smiles, misses the way she looks at her, watching her leave.

 

But Trini hears Kim say, “See you.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

It becomes their new routine as more weeks fly by.  
  
One of them will get there first (many times they have this unspoken race, hoping to get there before the other and yeah, Trini usually does and pouts when she doesn’t), grab a booth, and the other will join.

 

They have casual conversations with each other, slowly revealing more about their personal lives or what they’ll be doing that day. Kim tends to talk more about her home life and family, while Trini takes a backseat with that one. Kim never pushes about it, never begs her to open up like her mother did once upon a time, and Trini appreciates that.

 

And every single morning, Trini never fails to admire Kim. She admires that cute and wholesome laugh that Kim lets out whenever Trini makes a funny comment. She admires how Kim always grabs extra sugar and napkins for the both of them. Most of all, though, she admires the way Kim relaxes with her, smiling so widely that Trini can’t imagine anyone else’s smile ever comparing.

 

A part of Trini wants to believe that that smile is only reserved for moments with her.

 

One morning, they exchange phone numbers so that they can hang out sometime.

  
Trini saves her name as Kim, with the sparkling pink heart.

 

 

* * *

 

 

“Hey, Trini?” Kim asks one morning. It’s late April, and the coffee shop’s AC is just starting to kick in. How long have they been doing this? A few months have gone by of the same weekly routine. Meeting up every Tuesday and Thursday morning (and sometimes Saturday now if Trini isn’t being dragged out by Zack), spending half an hour a day in each other’s presence. It’s become so natural to them.

 

“Yeah, Kimmy?” Trini responds, not looking up from her phone. There’s nothing particularly interesting on her screen, but she’s taken aback by herself. _Kimmy? Really?_ The nickname had just slipped out, and Trini was trying to fight the warmth spreading in her cheeks.

 

“Go on a date with me,” Kim blurts out, completely startling her. Trini just looks up, widened eyes and mouth slightly agape. “Like, a real date. Not here. Maybe the movies, or a nice restaurant…”

 

There’s an absolute silence as Trini stares at her in surprise. A date. An actual date with this girl that she’d been crushing on for weeks since she’d first came for coffee one Tuesday morning. It can’t be real, right? There’s no way—

 

But Kim is sitting there, looking more and more horrified, and Trini realizes that a prolonged silence after asking someone out definitely seems bad.

 

“Or, you know, we could forget I ever said this—”

 

“No! I—I mean…” Trini cuts her off, swallowing down the doubts and insecurities in her throat. Her eyes are scrambling to gaze anywhere else, but they eventually land on Kimberly’s. They have a sparkle of hope in them, and Trini fully realizes that this is mutual. “The—The movies sound nice. But, seriously, no romcoms, unless you want me to fall asleep.”

 

Trini’s heart melts at the way Kim smiles, and she smiles back.

 

 

* * *

 

 

The first time they kiss, Trini can taste the coffee on Kim’s lips.

 

It doesn’t surprise her, either.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone for leaving the comments, kudos, and bookmarks. You're all amazing and I really appreciate the support!
> 
> (Give me more prompts and ideas @ cabooseachievables on tumblr!)

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading this fic! This is pretty much planned to be a oneshot, but if you guys are interested I could write Trini's side of the story. Reviews and comments are always appreciated!!
> 
> (also, expect more trimberly in the future, because I'm in trimberly hell)


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